


Seeking

by Pippyville



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Buckle up kids, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Redemption, Starscream being Starscream, Suicidal Thoughts, starscream was deprived of a redemption arc in tfp so I'm going to give him one, starscream's learning to become better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24552088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pippyville/pseuds/Pippyville
Summary: Starscream has abandoned the Decepticons and has been forging his own path for a while. When Optimus offers him the chance to redeem himself and become an Autobot, he must decide where his loyalties truly belong.Updates are going to be slow, as this is an on-off fandom for right now.
Relationships: Starscream & Team Prime (Transformers: Prime)
Comments: 61
Kudos: 177





	1. A New Path to Consider.

**Author's Note:**

> I started this because of Autobot Starscream Week, but decided to make it it's own full-blown fic instead. This is going to be a long one, so buckle up kids.

Starscream scaled the wall, trying to grab the small piece of energon that was sticking out of it. He had just managed to touch it when the rock gave way and he fell to the ground. He groaned, the pain hardly recognizable over the immense hunger in his tanks. He sat up against the rock wall for a moment, granting himself a few moments of rest. He curled his servo around his abdomen, trying to quell the pangs telling him he needed energon. He knew well enough.

He pulled his knees up slightly and glanced at his talons. They were sharp, even after all these weeks of scrounging around with no real purpose. The moonlight reflected off of the deadly digits in an almost taunting manner.  
He held his talon above the exposed wires in his neck. He could do it. He could end his suffering with a simple slice, it’s not as if anyone would know or care. He pressed into a line, feeling a small prick of pain as it not-quite-punctured the line. He dropped his talon, a small bead of energon on the tip. He couldn't. They were right, Megatron was right. He was too much of a coward.  
He felt a drip on his faceplate and scrubbed at it, surprised when it came back wet. 

Crying. Huh. He hadn’t done that in a while. He held it in, even though no one would know, not if he didn’t tell them. And why would he? He was so caught up in his thoughts he almost missed the moving green glow on the ground. He stared at it for a moment, wondering what it could be, before it clicked.

A groundbridge. He stood up as quickly as he could. _Scrap!_ He was cornered, no way out except to fly, but he couldn’t, not with his t-cog gone. He scrambled to try and find a cave where he could hide from whoever came out of the groundbridge. Nothing.

“Starscream.” The voice made his freeze. The Prime. 

Heavy pedesteps made Starscream’s spark beat rise and his vents come in quick succession. As soon as Optimus came into view he aimed one of his rockets at him and fired, ducking out of the way as debris fell. The Prime managed to avoid it, his instincts serving him well.

Starscream pressed against the wall, ignoring the grating feeling in his wings as he did so. Optimus kept coming, no weapons held out. Starscream pointed his remaining rocket at him, but didn’t fire. “What do you want?” He asked, his servos shaking.

“Please, put down your weapons.” Optimus held his servo’s up in a nonthreatening manner. “I have come only to talk.”

Starscream kept them up, “Why would you possibly want to talk with me? And how did you find me?!”

“Your locating beacon appeared on our screens. We don’t know why. I would like to ask you something. Please, put down your weapons.”

Starscream hesitated, confusion clouding his judgement as he slowly lowered his arm. “What is it?”

“First off, are you alright?” Optimus cautiously made his way closer to the seeker, not missing how his optics darted around, looking for a way out.

“Am I alr-What kind of a question is that?!”

“You’re bleeding.” Optimus pointed at his neck. 

Starscream narrowed his optics. “What’s it to you? You want something from me, don’t you?”

“No. I want nothing from you.”

“Lier!” Starscream yelled, keeping his arms up. “You’re a liar, everyone wants something!”

“I want nothing from you.” 

“Then why are you here!?”

“I wish to propose an...alliance, of sorts.” Optimus told him, stopping a few feet away from the seeker. “One that would benefit both of us.”

“An alliance?! With the Autobots?!” Starscream laughed humorlessly, “Don’t try and fool me, you just want something!”

“I do want something Starscream. I want you on our side. With the Autobots.” 

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden!?” Starscream scowled, “If you had truly wanted me on your side you would have told me yes when I asked all those months ago!”

“I almost did say yes. I was going to give you a chance, but Arcee’s anger clouded her judgement. I am willing to give you another chance, a chance to redeem yourself and join our cause.”

“You? Willing to give _me_ another chance?” Starscream nearly snorted, “I did everything you asked of me! I rode in the trailer, let you cuff my wings, even tried to speak cordially to your two-wheeler! She attacked me, I did nothing until she tried to kill me!”

“And that was the fault of someone who was blinded by anger. I wish you would see that, and reconsider.”

“Let me go.” Starscream pointed at the canyon, “Let me go, and I won’t kill you.”

“You don’t have enough energy to kill me, Starscream.” Optimus gestured at his abdomen, “It doesn’t take a medic to see that you’re starving.”

“I can still fight.” One of Starscream’s servos subconsciously covered his abdomen. 

“I don’t doubt that. But you don’t have to. Come with me, join my team.”

“And what does your precious team have to say about this?” Starscream chuckled, tilting his head slightly.

“They have their concerns. But they wish to try again, to really give you a chance this time. Arcee regrets what she did.” Optimus spread his servo’s out. 

“No.”

“Starscream, please, reconsider.”

“Why should I!? I’m fine out here on my own, and I don’t need anyone!”

“Are you certain you are fine? You don’t seem fine. You’re bleeding, starving, and you can’t fly.”

“Really? I wasn’t aware of that.” Starscream snarled, his wings twitching in anger, “But I’ve survived worse. Megatron left the Decepticons for years and I managed to wrangle them enough to keep everyone alive. He came back and beat me within an inch of my life but I _survived_. I am not weak, and I certainly don’t need any help from you Autobots.”

“Then, if it makes you feel better, I offer you not help, but companionship. Maybe even friendship, if you are willing.” Optimus noticed Starscream’s shaking body, but decided not to comment, “You shouldn’t have had to survive worse, and yet you did. You’re strong, but even the strongest of bots needs a break.”

“I need nothing from you!” Starscream growled, edging away from the prime.

“You may, and you may not. You wished to join us at one time, and I hope that that wish is still within you.”

“I want nothing to do with you!” Starscream’s voice cracked as he felt himself grow tired. “Nothing!”

“Starscream. You can change your ways, learn to become a good mech. I can see a glimmer of good in your spark.”

“I am not a good mech.” Starscream spat, his claws tensing, “I’ve killed. I have done nothing but cause you and your team pain, why would you-”

“You let Arcee go.”

“I-What?!”

“When she was tied up. You could have killed her, and made it look like Arachnid’s doing, but you didn’t. You let her go.”

“I was settling scores!” Starscream threw his servos up, “She let me go, so I was just returning the favor, making it even!”

“A bad mech wouldn’t have hesitated. Megatron would have killed her, one less foe in this war. You have a moral code, that is something no truly evil mech has.” Optimus insisted. 

Starscream hesitated, his wings twitching in agitation. He took a shaky vent, “So? I helped one person. One. That doesn’t make me a good mech.”

“But you could become one.” Optimus told him, stepping closer. Starscream took a few steps back, pressing himself into the wall. “Please. Join the Autobots. Help us win this war.”

“So that’s it!” Starscream pointed an accusing digit, his wings flaring, “You just need me to help you win! You want to use me! Well it’s not going to happen, oh so gracious Optimus Prime!”

“I will not use you.” the tone of Optimus’s voice was somber, “I never use my team, for anything. But Megatron has hurt you, and I know you want revenge. We can defeat him, bring peace to both factions.”

Starscream, in truth, wanted to. He felt himself drawn to Optimus’s side through his soft words and promises of a better future. But Megatron had done the same, spoken to him like an ally, a friend, but he turned on him. “No. I have myself, that is all I need.”

“You shouldn’t be alone.”

“I am alone!” Starscream shrieked, “I have always been alone! I need no one, and no one needs me! I am independent now, and it’s better than anything I’ve ever had! I am my own leader, and no one is-”

“You’re lying” Optimus cut in.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s not better. You being by yourself is tearing you apart. Physically, at least. Mentally, I’d wager you’re not doing much better.”

“I’m fine!”

“You’re lying.”

“I. Am. Fine.” Rage boiled in Starscream’s tanks, overriding the hunger, “I’m better than when I was with the Decepticons!”

“You could be even better with me. With us, with the Autobots. You could become not a great mech, but a good one.”

Starscream didn’t respond, biting his lip plates. He couldn’t think of anything to say, his hunger and tiredness clouding his judgement and dulling his usually sharp glossa. Optimus gave him a soft smile, “Please. Come with me. We can help you, and you can help us. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe if, and you can have friends. Not underlings or lords. Just companions.”

Starscream lowered his arms “You’re trusting me?”

“I’m giving you a chance to change. To better yourself, and to make friends. No, we won’t trust you completely at first, but give everyone enough time and I’m certain you can become an ally.” Optimus held out his servo. “Please. Give us a chance. I can promise you medical care and energon, as well as a team, if you are willing to let us.”

Starscream hesitated before slowly outstretching his servo to meet the Prime’s. “You have energon?”

“As of now we have enough for everyone, including you.”

Starscream grasped Optimus Prime’s servo and took a deep vent. 

“Okay.”


	2. Base

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is this the right choice for Starscream? He doesn't know.

As soon as Starscream said let go of Optimus’s servo, he regretted it. Joining the Autobots? He really had gone mad. Flight deprivation most likely. And yet he didn’t run.  
Optimus’s optics fixed on him. “You must know that you will not have certain privileges until you have earned them.” Optimus told him, “You will be taken care of, but you must earn your keep.”

“Of course.” Starscream muttered. “Rules and things, yes?”

“You will be briefed when we get to the base. However, I wish to make one thing clear.” Optimus stepped forward, making Starscream cringe. “If you harm anyone, even the humans, you will no longer be welcome. We will cast you out, unless it was purely accidental.”

Starscream swallowed, the large - and now much sterner than before - figure of the Prime making his wings twitch nervously and lower slightly “I shall...not harm anyone.”

“Your weapons will be deactivated, and -”

Starscream interrupted, “My weapons systems are offline anyways. No T-cog.”

“Your rockets?”

“You expect me to go defenceless in a group of 'bots that want to kill me?!” He asked, his voice becoming slightly shrill. “I’d prefer to have a fighting chance if one of your Autobots turn against me!”

“I assure you that no one will harm you,” Optimus said, “as long as you extend the same courtesy. And as we cannot trust you as of now, you are to be weaponless for the time being. You know that this is reasonable.”

“You say that, and yet Arcee was the one who attacked me first last time this happened!” Starscream snarled, his talons flexing. 

“Arcee regrets what she did, but you were not an innocent party. You killed her partner and our long time friend.” 

“Yes, well. We all kill. It’s war, people die.” Starscream crossed his arms, daring Optimus to argue.

“And that is why we are willing to give you a chance. Mech’s have changed before, and I feel you can as well. But you must be willing to do everything you can to become a part of our team. It cannot just be us attempting the change.”

Starscream held back a sigh, “Right, right. Honorable Autobots and all that slag.” 

“Starscream, you must take this seriously.” Optimus said firmly, “We are willing to give you a safe place to live, but you must pull your own weight.”

“I’ve been pulling my own weight for thousands of years, Prime. I think I’ll do just fine.”

“Very well. You will give me your rockets and I will give them to Ratchet. They won’t be destroyed, just kept away for now. You will allow yourself to be cuffed, but after a while we will take them off, providing you are docile.”

Starscream nodded, biting his lip plates. In his head, his mind was imagining the ways he could steal information. Maybe he could give it to Megatron in exchange for his position back? Well, he’d decide later. He hesitantly released his missiles and handed them to the Prime. 

“Thank you. If you’re ready, I will have Ratchet open a groundbridge. You will go in first.”

Starscream nodded, thinking about the harbinger and the things inside of it. He could come back later for them, it’s not like it was unsafe. 

Optimus opened a comm link, “Ratchet, open a groundbridge.”

"What did Starscream say?" 

“Yes.”

A long, suffering sigh was heard and a groundbridge opened in front of the two bots. Optimus gestured for Starscream to go first. Starscream tried to calm his racing spark as he walked into the Autobot’s base. 

Walking through the groundbridge was the easy part. When he got through, however, he immediately flinched, noticing the many weapons pointed his way. He was tempted to run back through the groundbridge, to leave and never look back, but he forced himself to stand up straight and look them all in the optics. He stayed silent, letting them make the first move.

Arcee held out two cuffs, one for his wrist and another for his wings. She walked up to him and, without taking her optics off of him, cuffed him painfully around both appendages. “If you hurt anyone, I won’t hesitate to kill you.” she whispered. 

Starscream didn’t give her the pleasure of a response, instead rolling his shoulders to try and get his wings in a more comfortable position. 

“Uh...Why are we letting him in here again?” Bulkhead asked, raising his servo. Starscream rolled his optics as Optimus responded.

“He wishes to become an Autobot, to better himself. We are giving him a chance.”

“I can hear you, you know.” Starscream muttered.

He was ignored. 

Ratchet looked up at Optimus, who nodded. Ratchet sighed, “Well, if you’re going to try and be on our side, you need to have a proper medical examination. I also need to make sure you don’t have any trackers or things like that.” Starscream tensed, narrowing his optics. Ratchet rolled his optics, “What, are you afraid it’s going to hurt?”

“No. Of course not.” Starscream hissed, “I don’t like strangers dabbling around my insides.”

“You’ve called for help from me before. What’s the difference?” Ratchet crossed his arms.

Starscream couldn’t think of an answer, so instead he glared at the medic. Ratchet pointed at the berth, “Now.”

"So soon? Why, Ratchet." Ratchet glared at him and Starscream rolled his optics "can't take a joke, can you?" Starscream muttered, but a gentle push from Optimus made him stalk over to the berth anyways. The rest of the Autobots followed him with their guns before Optimus told them to put them away. Even so, they all kept them at the ready. 

Ratchet held up a needle, “This is a temporary stasis inducing drug that’s been thinned quite a bit.” He told Starscream, who tilted his head, “I figured you would want to stay awake for the process of a simple check up.”

Starscream nodded, but asked, “What will it do?”

“It will make you a little sluggish, but it will also dampen any pain receptors you have, since I can’t be bothered to figure out how to turn yours off.”

Starscream didn’t like it, but he went along with it, nodding and holding out his arm. Ratchet injected the liquid into the gap of his armor and they waited for it to take a hold of him. It didn’t take long, and Starscream felt himself become tired. Ratchet pushed him onto the berth and told the others “Alright, you can all leave now. I can handle myself.”

“Ratchet, this is Stars-” Arcee began, but Ratchet cut her off.

“Ehp, ehp, ehp. I know very well who this is. But I assure you it will be fine. Bumblebee, you can stay, just in case.”

“...fine. Comm us if anything happens.” Arcee finally transformed her gun back into her servo and left the room, the others following suit. Bumblebee took a seat on the bench next to the monitors. 

Optimus patted Ratchet’s shoulder on his way out, “Thank you, old friend.” 

“Don’t thank me yet.” Ratchet grumbled. “We’ll just see how much trouble he’s worth.”

Starscream refused to fall into recharge, no matter how much the drug made him want to. He kept his optics open as Ratchet prodded and poked him. “What’s this?” Ratchet asked, pointing at his neck. Starscream shrugged.

“Just a scratch.” 

“Even so…” Ratchet none too gently patched it with a rubber patch. “Everything seems to be fine, but your tanks are practically empty.” 

“Yes, well, it’s not too easy finding energon on your own.” Starscream hissed. 

“We’ll get you some in a moment.” Ratchet typed something into the computers, “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing…?”

“All of this. Don’t play dumb with me Starscream, I know you’re only “joining” us for your own self-gain.”

“How do you know that? Maybe I truly wish to better myself, as your leader says.”

“The day that happens is the day I let Bulkhead be my assistant.” Ratchet pointed a digit at him, “If you hurt anyone, you’re dead.”

“Yes, yes, well. That won’t happen just yet, I assure you.”

Ratchet huffed, “Well, if we’re going to give you a chance it’s probably better if you don’t starve on my servos.” He shuffled around in a drawer and pulled out a small cube of liquified energon. 

Starscream’s tanks ached at the sight of it, but he refused to let it show. Ratchet put it into a syringe and said, “Arm up.”  
Starscream did as he was told, holding up his arms with the elbow joint pointed outward. The cuffs dug into his wrists, but he didn’t complain. He knew how this worked, Knockout had done it plenty of times with him before. Ratchet inserted it into his joint and injected the energon right into his lines. 

:Isn’t that a little small?: Bumblebee beeped, pointed at the tiny amount of energon. 

“It’s better to start small.” Ratchet told him, “Starscream’s completely empty at this point, so little bits at a time will be better.”

Starscream rolled his optics, “Again, I can hear you.”

“I don’t care.” Ratchet told him. 

Starscream sighed, letting his optics roam around the base. “Interesting set up you have here.” he commented, “It’s...quaint.” 

“That’s what Megatron said.”

Starscream raised an optic ridge, “Megatron’s been here?”

“Unfortunately.” 

“Pity. I’m not the first Decepticon then.”

:But you aren’t technically a Decepticon anymore: Bumblebee pointed out. 

Starscream shrugged, “That’s not my point.”

“You’re insufferable.” Ratchet pointed a wrench at him, “Now, when that stasis drug wears off you’re going to let Arcee direct you to your quarters. You’ll stay there until further notice.”

“And how long do you intend to keep me there?”

“As long as it takes.”

“For?”

“None of your business.” Ratchet snapped. 

Starscream raised his servos as well as he could, “Well, if it involves me, don't you think it is?” he hated this. He hated being drugged, he hated being under the watch of the Autobots, and it hadn’t even been a day yet. He knew he needed a place to stay, free from Megatron’s wrath...but were the Autobots going to be any better than if he had just continued to be alone?

He didn’t know if he could do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if my updates are slow, I want to make sure I write this fic well. Most of my other multi-chapter stories are just "on a whim" kind of writing, but I want to get this one right.


	3. Chapter 3

Arcee paced around the room, flexing her digits in agitation. “He shouldn’t be here.” she hissed, popping out her arm blades.

“Arcee, maybe we should chill out a little. I know it’s...not great but…” Bulkhead trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Optimus finished for him, “If Starscream truly wishes to be an Autobot, then we must give him that chance. If we didn’t, would we be any better than the Decepticons?”

Arcee scowled, “It’s not whether he’s trying or not, Optimus, he’s killed people! He’s hurt so many of us and we’re just going to accept him? We can’t trust him! Who knows what he’ll do, he’ll probably kill the kids, or attack us in our sleep!”

“While I agree that we cannot trust him, perhaps he would be willing to give us information in return for a safe place to stay.” Optimus told her, “And if we wait long enough, perhaps he will truly change for the better.”

Arcee sat on the bench next to Bulkhead, “I doubt he would ever even try to be better. It’s not in his nature.”

“I mean...we don’t really know that.” Bulkhead rubbed the back of his head, “Maybe he really does wanna change?”

“I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Ratchet seemed to have given Starscream a heavier dose of stasis drugs than he realized. The seeker had been fighting off sleep for a while, but it seemed his body was too tired to stay awake. Ah well, any amount of time he didn’t have to listen to the former SIC’s prattling was fine by him.

Bumblebee was watching them, but had retracted his guns once the seeker fell asleep. :I thought he wasn’t supposed to fall asleep: 

“He wasn’t, but I either gave him too high a dose or his body was just already tired.” Ratchet responded, “Either is just as likely. I’m not used to doing work on seekers.”

:What would him being a seeker have to do with it?:

“Seekers cycle through energon quicker, which makes things more effective on them, but they don’t last as long. Also, he’s relatively small for a cybertronian.”

:Oh...So he’ll wake up soon?:

“Probably.”

:...Ratchet?:

“Yes?”

:Do you think Starscream really wants to change?:

“I don’t know.” Ratchet said after a moment of hesitation, “He might, but I’m not willing to risk the safety of our friends until we know for sure.”

:Are you going to give him a chance?:

“We’ll see.”

_Starscream was trapped between the wall and Megatron. The larger bot stalked towards him as he cowered in fear, sending a helpless glance at Knockout, who stood a few feet away, watching._

_“You flew away!?” Megatron snarled, pushing the SIC roughly up against the wall, “We lost the battle because of you!”_

_“Please Master, I didn’t-” Starscream coughed as his leader pressed against his throat, “The Autobots were winning, it was either retreat or be killed!”_

_“Then you should have died. What good is a Second in Command who turns tail at the first sign of danger?!”_

_Said Second in Command whimpered, his talons scrabbling uselessly against the wall his wings were pressing into “I-I’m sorry, Lord Megatron. It won’t happen again!”_

_“See to it that it doesn’t.” Megatron hissed, throwing Starscream to the ground. Starscream shuddered as he heard the heavy pedesteps start to fade. Another set of servo’s grabbed his waist and he shrieked, slashing at the invader._

_Knockout stumbled back, glancing at the small scratch, “Calm down, herr commandant. I’m trying to help”_

_The scene changed_

_Laughter erupted from the brig’s crew as Starscream was tossed onto the floor. He glared up defiantly at Megatron as he pressed a pede into Starscream’s chest. His glare turned into a shudder and a whine as he felt himself start to crumble under his master’s pede._

_“P-Please my Liege!” Starscream begged, “I simply wished to -”_

_“Silence!” Megatron picked him up by his neck cables. “You do what I wish on this ship, do you understand!?”_

_“I understand! I understand!”_

_“Pathetic.” Megatron threw him to the ground, growing tired of Starscream’s blathering. “Get back to your post.”_

_Starscream nodded, stood, bowed, and scurried off into the hallway, clutching his throat as he did so._

Starscream exited recharge with a gasp and a jerk, venting heavily. He opened his optics to see rock above him and his spark dropped. He couldn’t be underground, not again. Not in a cave, please. He tried to get up, but he couldn’t and he was _trapped, trapped, trapped-_

He flinched as a servo landed on his chest and looked up. Bulkhead’s face blinked back at him, confusion on his face. “Uh...hey Screamer.

“What-” The memories flooded back into his processor. He was with the Autobots, in their base, not underground. He groaned, “Did I…?”

“Fall asleep? Uh...kinda, yeah.” Bulkhead shrugged, “Docbot musta given you more than needed or something.”

“Yes, well I- Where is the medic anyways?” Starscream tried to sit up but found his wrists chained to the berth. He growled, “What is the meaning of this!?”

“We couldn’t just have you walking around free. Ratchet had to go sort something out...something to do with a broken tool. He left me here to watch over you.”

Starscream pulled at his restraints, trying to quell the minor panic bubbling up in his spark, “I see...Well, since you’re here can’t you undo my restraints?”

“I need to wait for Arcee.” Bulkhead told him, “Besides, I don’t think we can’t trust you yet.”

“No, we can’t.” A harsh, feminine voice cut through the tension between the two bots. Arcee walked into the room, her arms crossed and her face a painting of hatred. 

“Arcee.” Starscream sneered, “You’re looking well.”

“Don’t start with me.” Arcee’s voice was cold, “Bulkhead, was he any trouble?”

“He kinda just woke up.” Bulkhead glanced at the chained seeker, who scowled back at him “Not much he could have done. He’s also, y’know, chained.”

Arcee glared at both of them. 

Starscream raised an optic ridge, “Your medic said you would direct me to my quarters when this drug wore off. It’s worn off now.”

“I know, that’s the only reason I’m here.” Arcee nodded at Bulkhead. Bulkhead seemed to get her drift and crouched down at the side of the berth, loosening the heavy restraints on Starscream’s wrists. While his servos were still cuffed, he was able to sit up and roll his shoulders back. He winced as his wings stung, but didn’t complain. He knew how volatile the femme was. Once Bulkhead had finished and released him, he swung his legs over the berth and blinked back the remaining sleepiness from his optics.

Arcee moved forward and grabbed his cuffs, yanking him to his pedes with a grunt. He yelped at the sudden movement and sneered at her, “Well, if you’re going to be rude-”

“Shut it.” Arcee hissed, pulling him along behind her. Bulkhead opened his mouth, then closed it again, whatever he was going to say dying on his glossa. Arcee pulled Starscream down the hallway in silence. 

They stopped a few doors before the end of the hallway. Arcee tapped a code into the lock and the door slid open. She pulled him inside, “This is your room now. Get used to it.”

Starscream ignored her, looking around. It was small, much smaller than his room on the Nemesis, but all things considered he couldn’t really find it within himself to complain. It had a proper berth with some kind of soft thing on it, a desk of some sort with a rolling chair, empty shelves and a light. It was more of a room than he had on the Harbinger, however spacious the ship may have been. 

Arcee raised an optic, seemingly waiting for a response.

Starscream cleared his throat, “It’s...nice.”

Arcee rolled her optics and said, “It’s what we can do right now, don’t expect anything better.”

“Of course.”

“You’ll be allowed out at certain times of the day, more time will be granted the longer you remain docile.” Arcee seemed to have memorised the speech, “While you’re in here, I can uncuff your servos, and you’ll be given energon once a day with the rest of the team. If you do anything - Anything - that harms the bots or humans inside this base, you will, in the least, not be allowed out again. You will be a prisoner.”

“What about -”

“No what abouts. You will follow the rules or be taken prisoner.”

“I’m already a prisoner, am I not?”

“Just try and behave yourself, and we’ll give you more privileges as time goes on. Assuming you can last that long without trying to kill us. Hold out your servos.”   
Starscream complied, and she unlocked his cuffs before exiting the room, closing and locking the door behind her. Starscream rubbed his wrists and tried to loosen the bindings on his wings. He gave up after a few moments, sitting down on the berth and trying to ignore the cuffs. 

He put his helm in his servos, thinking over the events of the day. He felt overwhelmed. One minutes he was scrounging around on his own, starving, but free, and the next he was sitting in a room in the Autobot’s base, less hungry but a prisoner. It sometimes felt like he would always be a prisoner. If not of the Autobots then of hunger, or Megatron or something else. 

He pulled his legs up onto the berth and settled his chin on his knees. If he was honest with himself, he was scared. Scared of what the Autobots would do to him, scared he would never fly again, scared that Megatron would find him and scared about _so many other things_. He just sat and stewed over his thoughts, trying to come up with some way to twist his situation to his advantage as he waited for the Autobots to make their next move.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna thank emperor-kumquat on tumblr and youtube for helping me with this fic. Their videos and blog have both given me much to work with, as well as answering tfp related questions. Go check them out, they're really great!

Miko looked out the window as Bulkhead drove through the desert to the base, “Why so quiet?” She asked, looking at the dashboard. 

Bulkhead cleared his throat, “Optimus has something really important to tell you and the others when we get back to base, and you need to listen properly.”

“Oh? What is it?” She gasped, “A new bot?”

“You...could say that.” 

Miko squealed, “Awesome! I can’t wait to show them around and ask them questions! Are they a wrecker like you? Or are they some kind of-”

“Miko, he’s not someone you want to cross.”

“So? Who is it?”

“Just wait until we get to base, that way we can tell everyone at the same time.”

The two of them entered the base, followed by Bumblebee, Arcee and their respective charges. Optimus and Ratchet were waiting for them, with the latter looking extremely tense. Miko jumped out of Bulkhead as soon as he stopped moving and immediately launched into questions.

“Bulkhead said there’s a new bot in the base! Is he a car? A truck? Is he strong? What-”

“Miko, Miko.” Jack hopped off of Arcee as she transformed, “Calm down, let everyone talk before you start blabbering.”

“I’m just curious!” Miko defended herself, crossing her arms.

Jack mumbled, “Curious is one word for it.” Miko lightly punched him in the shoulder.

Ratchet sighed, rubbing his face “Yes, there is a new bot, but you already know him.”

Jack frowned, “Wheeljack?”

“No.” Optimus said, “It is Starscream.”

The children went quiet for a moment, dead silence filling the air before a shriek of “What?!” from Miko split the air, “Starscream!? He’s a Decepticon, what are you talking about?!” She gasped, “Did he switch sides? Is he an Autobot now?”

“No.” Arcee crossed her arms, “He isn’t an Autobot.”

“But-”

:He’s trying to be!: Bumblebee said as Rafael translated for him.

“We found Starscream’s signal last night and I groundbridged to his location.” Optimus explained, turning to the children, “He took some convincing, but he has decided to attempt to be on our side, to become an Autobot.”

“Can we see him?” Miko asked, “I wanna ask him about the decepticons!”

“Yeah, we’re not doing that.” Bulkhead carefully poked her in the head, “he’s not an Autobot yet, so we don’t really trust him around you guys. It’d be too easy for him to squish you.”

“So...he’s trying to become better?” Raf asked, looking up at Optimus. “That’s good right?”

“It is indeed.” Optimus nodded, “However, we cannot be completely certain that Starscream truly intends to change. He may very well be looking for a way to defeat us from the inside, or otherwise harm us.”

“So...Don’t tell him anything.” Jack said, running a hand through his hair. 

“Pretty much.” Ratchet sighed.

“Don’t talk to him at all, really.” Arcee said, crossing her arms, “We don’t need him to poison you or something.” 

“Uh...right.” Jack frowned, “So...where is he?”

“In a designated room next to our own.” Ratchet said, “It’s locked.”

“So he’s kind of a prisoner?” Rafeal asked, adjusting his glasses. 

“Kind of.” Bulkhead said, rubbing his neck cables. 

“Are you gonna get information out of him?” Miko asked, “Like super spies or something? The traitor gives the other side info!”

“We have given him two days to settle in, and yes, we will be asking him questions later.” Optimus nodded, “However, we will not force it out of him. Not yet.”

“Do you think he’ll give you the information willingly?” Rafael asked.

“If he truly wishes to be on our side, then yes.” Optimus hoped he was right. 

Starscream clawed at his wing cuffs, yelping when he only managed to catch his wings on his talons. He grumbled and gave up. His wings ached, he hoped they’d take the cuffs off soon. He sighed, glancing around the room. It was small, and he was beginning to feel claustrophobic. 

It was bad enough that he hadn’t flown for months, but to be shoved into a cage that was hardly big enough to hold the largest Autobot? It made his spark flutter with panic. He took a deep vent and closed his optics, determined not to let it get to him. He wouldn’t show the Autobot’s any weakness.

The door slid open and he sat upright. Bulkhead entered the room carrying an energon syringe. 

“Alright, Screamy.” he said, “Optimus is coming in later to talk to you.”

“ _Starscream_.” Starscream rolled his optics, “And fine, what does he want to talk about?”

“You, I think.”

“Well, that's certainly specific, isn’t it?” Starscream rolled his optics, “Alright, fine. You’re not going to inject me, are you?”

“I mean...I was gonna?” Bulkhead shrugged, glancing at the syringe.

“I’d rather do it myself. Your servos are too big.”

“Uh...I don’t see why not I guess.” Bulkhead handed Starscream the syringe, watching him closely for any signs of aggression. Starscream gave none, injecting himself roughly and handing it back to the wrecker without thanks.

“You should be more gentle with that.” Bulkhead frowned, “You’re gonna rip a big hole in your arm.”

“Why would you care?”

“I don’t. It’s just common sense.” Bulkhead waited to see if his harsh words got any reaction out of the seeker. When they didn’t, Bulkhead shuffled the syringe to his other hand, “Well then. I’ll see you around.”

Starscream dipped his head in an oddly respectful manner, “You shall.”

Bulkhead raised an optic ridge, confusion bubbling in his spark as he witnessed the strange action. He left the seeker’s room, wondering why he had done that.

“Starscream’s acting so...weird.” Bulkhead said, entering the room and handing Ratchet the syringe, 

Arcee snorted, “No, really? What in the stars made you possibly think that?”

“No, I don’t mean like...violent or anything.” Bulkhead frowned, “It’s the opposite. He’s acting weirdly polite? Well, more than I expected at least.”

“Isn’t Starscream supposed to be stupidly rude?” Miko asked, tilting her head.

“Yeah, that’s what’s weird about it.” 

“Huh.”

“He’s obviously putting up an act.” Arcee rolled her optics, “He’s trying to lull us into a false sense of security.”

“Cee, you’ve gotta consider that he might actually want to change.” Bulkhead told the two-wheeler. 

Arcee shrugged, “Maybe. But I’m not taking chances.”

:I think we should give him a chance: Bumblebee beeped.

“We are, Bee. We’ve had this conversation before.” Bulkhead smiled, “Besides, he can’t hide his true colors for long, can he?”

“We will have to wait and find out.” Optimus nodded. 

“It’ll be cool to have a flier on the team, right?” Rafael said, “Like...an advantage or something?”

“I mean, if he’s on our side for good then yeah. Seeker’s are fast, he’ll be a good addition.” Bulkhead said.

“Unfortunately or fortunately, he won’t be able to.” Ratchet interjected.

“Huh? Why not?” Jack asked.

“He doesn’t have his T-cog. It got taken, remember? No flight, no weapons.” Ratchet narrowed his optics, “We wouldn’t be able to transplant one into him either, even if we wanted to. His frame is too small for a standard T-cog, not that any of us would give him ours.”

“Frame?” Rafael questioned.

“His body. He’s very small by cybertronian standards. It doesn’t make him less deadly, but he wouldn’t be able to take a standard sized T-cog.”

“Wait, so is Arcee like that too?”

Arcee looked to Ratchet, giving him silent permission to answer, “Yes, she wouldn’t be able to either, although since she’s a grounder we might be able to modify it to fit her. But that’s a big _maybe_ , and we needn’t find out.”

“Huh.” Rafael adjusted his glasses, “That’s kinda cool I guess. It’s like...human organ transplants. Some are compatible and some aren’t.”

“Wait. Humans can transplant-” Bulkhead grimaced, “but you don’t have wires or anything to hook it onto!”

“Uh..we kinda do. In a way.” Raf shrugged, “It’s a weird thing, but...yeah. We can.”

:That’s nasty.: Bumblebee shuddered.

Miko looked at the bots and burst into a fit of giggles, “You guys look so weirded out.”

“Hey, it’s gross!” Bulkhead shook his head.

“Even so…” Rafeal shrugged, “It’s kinda cool that we’ve got similarities.”

“I suppose.” Ratchet sighed, turning back to the monitors. After a moment he said “Agent Fowler sent a message.”

“What does it say?” Arcee asked.

“He says he’s going to ‘drop by’ tonight. Check up on things.” Ratchet dragged a servo down his face, “this will require some explaining.”

“Wha-Oh yeah. Starscream.” Bulkhead rubbed his neck nervously, “this won’t be fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I'm not dead!  
> So...I'm very sorry it took me so long to write this, my brain decided that it was going to go full on different fandom mode and I lost the motivation. But I'm back now! I won't give up on this fic yet!  
> Thanks for sticking around y'all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Optimus and Starscream have a talk

Optimus Prime walked down the hallway to Starscream’s room. Bulkhead had already warned the seeker of his coming, so he wasn’t worried about surprising him. He knocked on the door of the ex-Decepticon’s room, warning him of his presence before entering. 

Starscream was standing in the middle of the room, fiddling with his claws. “Optimus Prime.” he greeted, bowing his head slightly, “Bulkhead told me you were coming earlier.”

“Yes, I had requested that he did.” Optimus responded before gesturing to the berth, “Please sit, I have some things to discuss with you.”

Starscream’s wings twitched nervously in their cuffs, but he didn’t seem to be aware of it, his face keeping a calm expression. He sat down, keeping his optics trained on the Prime and putting his servos on his lap. “So? What was it you wished to talk about?

“You, and your place here, as well as information.”

“Ah, of course. Information.” Starscream tilted his head, “Do you plan on tormenting it out of me?”

“No.” Optimus shook his head, sitting down on the chair as to not tower over the other “Of course not. I’ve only come to ask you for what you know. Things that could help end this war.”

“Well then. Ask away.” Starscream crossed his legs.

“I assume you have inside information on the Decepticons?”

“Of course.” Starscream paused, “Although since I’m no longer affiliated with them, so they might have changed what they can. It’s more than likely.”

“I had thought as much.” Optimus nodded, “What would they be unable to change?”

“Oh, I’m not entirely sure.” Starscream tilted his head a little, thinking, “Energon mines and their locations couldn’t be changed, so I could show you those. Little things like abandoned equipment in places, although I can’t see that being of any use…” he trailed off, frowning.

“Do you know the locations of any relics?”

“Ah-No.” Starscream’s wings hit the cuffs, making him wince slightly,“I don’t.”

“Very well.” Optimus couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment, but knew it wasn’t the fault of Starscream. He had been hoping for a somewhat easy victory somewhere, but it seemed he would have to go back to deciphering the codes instead.

“I-I’m sure I could think of more, you just need to give me time.” Starscream stuttered a bit, nervous looking.

“That’s quite alright. Energon mines will do.” Optimus assured him, raising his servo slightly.

Starscream looked a bit confused, but quickly recovered and went back to a calm expression. “I assume you came for more?”

“I must ask you, why did you agree to come here?” 

“You’re the one that wanted me here, why are you asking?”

“I asked, yes. But you agreed, even if it took some convincing. You also asked before, all that time ago. So why join the Autobots then, and why agree to it now?” Optimus watched the seeker gather his thoughts for a moment.

“I’m not entirely sure.” Starscream admitted, “I suppose I simply had a change of spark.”

Optimus didn’t entirely believe him, but knew he wouldn’t get anything else out of him. “Very well. And now?”

“You asked, I came. Simple as that. You also have medical resources that I was...lacking.”

“And what resources would that be?”

“Energon, mostly.” Starscream shrugged, “Also..ah, your medic knows, so I assume you do as well. I don’t have a t-cog, and it’s rather bothersome. I was hoping for surgery.”

“We don’t have extra T-cogs, unfortunately.”

“Of course not. I- It’s just a thought.” Starscream was holding something back again, but Optimus didn’t know what.

Optimus studied him for a moment before saying, “The human children.”

“What about them?” Starscream cocked an optic ridge at the sudden change of subject.

“What are your thoughts?”

Starscream blinked, confusion clouding his optics, “My...What in Primus’s name am I supposed to say to that? They’re humans, I don’t find them particularly interesting.”

“You won’t hurt them?”

“Not on purpose, no.” Starscream still looked baffled, “I mean, they’re small. I might step on them.”

“You will not.” Optimus made his voice sterner. 

Starscream waved him off, “Of course. I’ll watch my step. They’re obviously important to you Autobots.”

“They are.” 

“Hm.” Starscream picked at his claws, “And am I supposed to humor them? Speak with them cordially?”

“In certain instances, yes. They are just as smart and capable as any Cybertronian. Size does not factor in.”

“I’m sure.” Starscream’s voice was laced with slight sarcasm.

“Agent William Fowler is coming tonight. He is not aware of your staying here, so we will have to deal with that.” 

Starscream smirked, “Ah, I know him. He’s the darker one, right? Bit more squishy than the rest? Yes, he’s quite...resilient, for a human.”

“So you do remember him?”

“Of course. I don’t forget faces, even if they’re small.”

“So you understand why he wouldn’t want you here?”

“Also yes.” Starscream paused, “But none of you really do either. At least, not the others, but I’m unsure about you. I’ve done worse to all of you, it can’t be too hard to convince Fowler.”

“Agent Fowler is a stubborn man.” Optimus said, “He will not be easy to persuade.”

“Am I supposed to do something about it?”

“Talk to him.”

“Talk to him.” Starscream repeated, looking bewildered, “And that will accomplish...what exactly?”

“If it goes well it will convince Agent Fowler to let you stay.”

“You let humans dictate your actions?” Starscream nearly laughed, “I thought you were the leader, no?”

“While upon this Earth we are cooperating with the human military and government.” Optimus clarified, “While they do not control us, we have to maintain a level of trust. That means telling Agent Fowler of your presence. He will meet you soon anyways, as he visits the base often.”

“Alright then.” Starscream relented, “I will attempt to speak cordially with him.”

“Thank you. I will speak with him beforehand, perhaps he will not even wish to see you tonight.”

Starscream shrugged, “Either way is fine. I’d rather get it over with sooner than later.”

“Very well. I will alert him of your presence and allow him to tell me whether he’d like to meet you yet or not.” Optimus nodded.

“Fine, fine.” Starscream waved his servo, “Is there anything else?”

“Not for now." Optimus stood, "I will be back soon, but I need to warn Agent Fowler now."

Starscream nodded and stood as well, "May I request one thing?"

"Yes?"

"My wing cuffs, may they be taken off? I can't fly anyways, and they're rather bothersome." Starscream rolled his shoulders for emphasis. 

"I will ask someone to unlock them for you, yes." Optimus said. 

“Thank you.” Starscream bowed. 

Optimus regarded his position with confusion for a moment, before it dawned on him, “Starscream, you don’t need to bow. Not here.”

“Ah-Right.” Starscream stood, “Then what do I do?”

“You need not do anything like that.” Optimus assured him.

“Oh?” Starscream blinked, “Alright then.”

“Someone will be in here soon to unlock your cuffs, and I will contact Agent Fowler.” Optimus said, stepping out of the room.

“Okay…?” Starscream watched the Prime leave, confusion bubbling in his tanks. Did Optimus Prime not demand respect? He shook the thought from his helm. Of course he did, just in a different way from Megatron. Starscream just needed to figure out how.

“Ratchet, will you go to Starscream’s room and unlock his wing cuffs?” Optimus requested, walking into the room. 

“Wait, why?” Ratchet frowned.

“He cannot fly, so there was no reason to in the first place. I’m afraid we acted a bit irrational in that aspect.” Optimus said, “Besides, it hurts his wings.”

“According to him?”

“Yes. You don’t think he’s trying to plan something by simply releasing his wings, can you?”

“I guess not.” Ratchet sighed, “I’ll go unlock them.”

“Thank you, old friend. I will call Agent Fowler.”

“Yeah, alright.” Ratchet stepped away from the console and looked underneath it, grabbing the key to the cuffs. “If I’m not back in five breems assume he’s killed me.”

Optimus resisted the urge to laugh as Ratchet left the room. He typed in Fowler’s number, and was soon greeted by “Prime? I’m coming in soon, why are you calling me now?”

“I wished to warn you of something that has come up recently before you came.”

“What is it, a new weapon of mass destruction?” Fowler’s voice was edged with exasperation. 

“No. It is a new member of our team.”

“A new Autobot, huh?” Fowler sighed, “Well, I’ll meet the fellow and-”

“I’m afraid you’ve already met him.” Optimus said, “He used to be a Decepticon.”

“Wait wait wait.” Fowler sighed, “The new bot used to be a con? Who is it, some kinda defected clone or something?”

“It is Starscream.”

The other end of the line was silent for some time, before Fowler’s voice shrieked, “What!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! I hope you guys enjoyed, sorry for the somewhat shorter chapters. I'll try to make longer ones, but no promises.


	6. Chapter 6

“There.” Ratchet pulled the cuffs off of Starscream’s wings, eliciting a small sigh from the seeker.

“Finally.” Starscream grumbled, letting his wings flutter a bit. “That was getting horrendously achy.”

“I can put them back on if you like.” Ratchet threatened.

Starscream rolled his optics, but said, “Thank you, Ratchet.” with only slight sarcasm.

“Whatever.” Ratchet noticed a few deep scratches on the bottom panels of his wings, “What happened there?”

“Nothing important,” Starscream waved him off, “I-”

“No.” Ratchet held up his servo, “If you’re going to be an Autobot, I need to know when you’re hurt. I know wings are sensitive, now let me look at it.”

“Oh Ratchet, you care?” Starscream raised an optic ridge.

“Not in the slightest. But I don’t want you to leak out or anything and have Optimus find you in here. Now turn around.” 

“I’d rather not.”

“Do it.” Ratchet narrowed his optics, “Right now.”

Starscream blinked nervously, “Fine, fine.” he turned around and spread his wings to show Ratchet. If Ratchet noticed how the tips of his wings and his servos trembled slightly, he didn’t comment on it. He touched the base of the wing where the scratches were and felt another shudder run through the seeker.

“You did this to yourself, didn’t you?” Ratchet asked, looking up.

“On accident.” Starscream hesitantly said.

“Right. Well, that’ll need patching up.” Ratchet brushed over the scratches, and Starscream yelped in pain. “Yeah, definitely.”

“If you’re done prodding me-”

“Ehp ehp ehp.” Ratchet pointed at him, “You’re under Optimus’s command now, which makes you my patient. Sit your aft down on the berth and I’ll go get a wielder.”

Starscream huffed, but sat down pointedly, his wings squeezing together slightly. “Alright, fine.”

Ratchet humphed, leaving the room to grab his things. He winced when he heard Fowler’s voice shrieking from the monitor, and decided that he didn’t envy Optimus in the slightest. He grabbed his wielder and headed back to the room, wondering why he even bothered.

Starscream, for all his tendencies, was a very good patient. He was still and quiet as Ratchet worked to repair the small self-inflicted wounds. He tensed up quite often, but Ratchet couldn’t exactly blame him. He wouldn’t like having someone he didn’t trust behind him either. 

“You’re twitchy.” Ratchet said, gripping the lower bit of the wing.

Starscream grimaced and shuddered again before growling “No, really, I wonder why?”

Ratchet pressed his servo right onto the cuts, earning a pained yelp from Starscream. “Any more witty remarks?” Ratchet asked.

Starscream glared at him, but huffed and went silent. Ratchet rolled his optics and continued patching the scratches, ignoring the way the wings twitched. 

It was only an hour later when Agent Fowler turned up. He stormed into the base, a stormy look on his face “Prime! You have some explaining to do!”

“Agent Fowler.” Optimus greeted him, “Yes, I would agree. We have much to talk about.”

“Cut the formalities Prime, what’s Starscream doing here?!”

“He is attempting to reform himself. He wishes to be an autobot.”

“What, and you believe him? What story did he tell you to get you to believe him?!” Fowler was looking angrier by the second.

“He told us no story, and he didn’t ask.” Optimus said, “I invited him.”

“You-What!?”

“Please, let me explain.” Optimus held up a servo.

“You’d better. Quickly.” Fowler crossed his arms.

“Starscream asked to be on our team a few months ago.” Optimus started, “Due to certain circumstances, he ran off before we could give him a proper answer. We found his signal on a frequency that Ratchet had detected, somehow it wasn’t properly blocked. He was alone, starving, and in need of assistance, in a way. I gave him the chance to become an Autobot once again, and he took it.”

“You do realize that Decepticon chained me up and tortured me for information on you guys, right?”

“We are aware.” Optimus nodded, “He has many personal grievances with us as well, however, we wish to give him the chance to change.”

“Where is he? I need to see this for myself.” 

“He is in a contained room. It is locked, and he has not so far been allowed out. We wanted to get your permission.”

“My - Well, if it was up to be he’d be tossed in the smelting pits, but I know you bots have hearts of gold.” Fowler sighed, “Don’t expect me to trust him, but I’ll talk to him.”

“Very well. Shall I bring him out?”

Fowler nodded, “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get this over with.”

Fowler watched Optimus enter the room once again, this time with a familiar looking con behind him. Starscream sneered, locking optics with the human “Ah, Agent Fowler.”

“Starscream.” Fowler narrowed his eyes.

“You wanted to talk?”

“Not really, but I have to.” Fowler stood straighter, “Prime told me you want to be an Autobot.”

“That’s the thought, yes.” Starscream glanced at Optimus, who gave him a nod “And I need your...permission?”

“If it was up to me, your skinny ass would be hoisted up and thrown in a smelting pit.” Fowler pointed at him menacingly, like he wasn’t the size of an ant, “But, that’s not my choice. It’s Prime’s, and I respect his judgement.”

Starscream raised an optic ridge, “What’s the verdict?”

“Hold up. I’m not done yet.” Fowler raised a hand.

Starscream did as he was told and shut up. It wouldn’t do him any favors to talk back to a military officer, human as he was. Especially not if he was on the Autobots team. 

“Now, I’m assuming they’ve given you some rules?”

Starscream nodded, “Of course.”

“Good. I’m giving you some incentives to follow them. You break one of the rules or hurt anyone, and I’ll have the entire US army fleet on your tailpipes so fast you won’t be able to say your own name before you’re taken out.” Fowler said it with such authority it almost made Starscream want to laugh. He didn’t, of course. But he would have liked too.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He also decided not to point out he didn’t have tailpipes.

“And I haven't forgotten our first meeting.” 

“Oh, neither have I.” Starscream said, smirking slightly, “You’re resilient. For a human.” Optimus flashed him a warning look, and Starscream shrugged, “In any case, I suppose you want to talk about it or something?”

“Not really.” Fowler said, straightening his tie, “No use crying over spilled milk, but just remember that I haven’t forgotten.”

“Spilled…? Well. That’s better for both of us.”

Fowler nodded, “You’re a prisoner, right?”  
“Of a sort, I suppose.”

“Good. I wouldn’t even consider this if you were allowed out and free.” 

“Oh, don’t be stupid.” Starscream huffed, “Of course I’m not free. Quite frankly I’d be insulted if you all let me be free immediately.”

“And why’s that?” Fowler leaned over the railing.

Starscream let out a low chuckle, “Because that would mean you aren’t scared of me.”

After they spoke for a few more minutes and Optimus took Starscream back into his room, Fowler collapsed onto the couch. “Damn.” he muttered, “That was…”

“Too much?” Bulkhead asked, walking into the room. “Yeah, we know. Probably freakier for you, huh?”

“The guy is over thirty feet tall, big guy.” Fowler sat up and looked at the wrecker, “I mean, he might be small by your standards, but to me he looks like a big-ass killing machine. You guys are big, but you don’t have the same...demeanor.”

“Well yeah. He used to be a Decepticon.” Bulkhead shrugged.

“You really think he just ‘used to be?’”

Bulkhead sighed, “I don’t know what I think. All I know is that Optimus wants to give him a chance, so I’m willing to give him one too.”

Fowler ran a hand through his hair, “Are you going to let the kids meet him? June?”

“I mean, eventually, yeah.” Bulkhead rubbed the back of his neck, “If he’s gonna be a part of the team, he needs to know all of us, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. Anytime soon though?”

“I don’t know.” Bulkhead laughed, “they don’t tell me anything.”

:That’s cause you’re a blabbermouth.: Bumblebee teased, lightly punching his friend on the shoulder as he walked into the room.

“Hey, I can keep my mouth shut!” Bulkhead protested, a smile on his face.

“Nah, Bee’s right.” Arcee entered, “Blahdy blah blah.”

Bulkhead rolled his optics, “Ah well. Not like Screamer can get information to the cons here anyways, if he hasn’t changed.”

“I guess.” Arcee’s winglets flicked, “In any case - how was your little talk, Agent Fowler?”

“Fantastic.” Fowler said sarcastically, “I think we really hit it off. Maybe he’ll come over for drinks.”

Bumblebee’s voice box made an odd crackling sound as he laughed :Oh Primus. Imagine an overcharged Starscream:

“Nope, I don’t need that image in my processor.” Arcee groaned, rubbing her head.

Ratchet followed Optimus into the room as they spoke in low voices, breaking their train of thought as Ratchet said, “What image?”

“Nothin.” Bulkhead snorted, “Something dumb.”

“Hmpf.” Ratchet headed to his station. “So the usual.”

Optimus watched the others banter back and forth for a bit, his optics following their wild servo movements and laughing faceplates. Even having Starscream in the base couldn’t damper their spirits too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AIN'T DEAD YET  
> Sorry this is so slow to update, I keep getting distracted by other ideas and fics.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it wasn't too rushed or out of character.  
> Thanks for reading!


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